Essentialism and Islamic Theology of Homosexuality: A Critical Reflection on an Essentialist Epistemology toward Same-Sex Desires and Acts in Islam

Although most traditional Muslim scholars condemn same-sex desires and acts, revisionist Muslim scholars have offered a more tolerant approach on this issue over the last two decades. Building on an essentialist approach to same-sex desires and acts, these scholars have argued that Islam accepts difference and diversity, including sexual diversity, as part of God’s creation. Homosexuality, which in their view is an innate disposition to the same sex, is an alternative sexuality and, thus, accepted by the Qur’an and Islam. This article argues that an essentialist approach is not suitable to defend all manifestations of same-sex desires and acts, not only because it is narrow (as it excludes both bisexual Muslims and homosexual Muslims who believe that their sexual orientation is socially constructed), but also because it cannot even argue the case for the view of homosexuality as inborn. This article proposes to open up the debate beyond essentialism and constructivism, which both have their limitations, to accommodate a more inclusive and tolerant Islamic approach to same-sex desires and acts.     

科学院大学的教学优势与发展趋势——以中国科学院大学为例

科学院办大学是基于探索研究型大学与科学院双边合作模式，尝试从科学院系统中走出一条研究型大学的独特发展之路，旨在推进科教融合。作对我国高等教育体制改革的一项探索，中国科学院大学在科研、师资、教学和就业等方面具有明显优势。但在发展过程中，科学院大学与现存高等教育体制的关系还需要理顺，招生规模还需要严格控制，以确保人才培养质量。探究科学院大学的教学优势，旨在发挥其资源优势，深化科教一体化人才培养模式，促进科研与教学的充分融合，实现科学院与大学共同发展的目标，使大学最终与科研机构不再分离——科学院成为大学的科学院，大学成为科学院的大学。     

A Method to Handle Zero Counts in the Multinomial Model

In the context of an objective Bayesian approach to the multinomial model, Dirichlet(a, …, a) priors with a < 1 have previously been shown to be inadequate in the presence of zero counts, suggesting that the uniform prior (a = 1) is the preferred candidate. In the presence of many zero counts, however, this prior may not be satisfactory either. A model selection approach is proposed, allowing for the possibility of zero parameters corresponding to zero count categories. This approach results in a posterior mixture of Dirichlet distributions and marginal mixtures of beta distributions, which seem to avoid the problems that potentially result from the various proposed Dirichlet priors, in particular in the context of extreme data with zero counts.     

“A stitch in time”: group work during the covid-19 scare in the Nicobar Islands,India

ABSTRACT

When India suddenly went into its first coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown in March 2020, several members of a historically isolated indigenous community in the eastern Indian ocean- the Nicobarese, began to panic. Their leaders came together and formed a group to boost community solidarity and helped the vulnerable indigenes to safely navigate through the crisis. In these uncertain times of Covid-19, when the “modern” world appears more fissured than ever, leaving its “others” to fend for themselves; the Nicobarese’s group has set an example for everyone to follow.     

盈余管理视角下的企业会计准则完善研究

对上市公司的盈余管理进行对比分析,结果表明现行会计准则为上市公司的盈余管理行为提供了一些机会.因此,需要制定会计准则概念框架,完善会计准则制定程序及准则体系,非经常性损益应在利润表中单独披露,会计准则应规范会计选择变更的披露.     

广义ATO下基于多种团购模型的供应链协调

针对由多个供应商、单个制造商和零售商所组成的广义按订单装配式供应链，在上游多个供应商不确定的零部件（或商品）供应以及下游客户不确定的需求的环境下，首先分析基本模型中团购前后的零售商和制造商的利润变化，然后提出了团购的标准模型和协调模型，并比较三种不同的团购模型对各成员以及全局供应链绩效的影响。通过数学推导证明和仿真数据算例分析，结果表明：零售商自发的团购基本模型总是对制造商有利，而对零售商的好处是有限的；由制造商主导的团购标准模型在满足一定条件时是优于团购基本模型的，但有使得零售商甚至制造商自身受到损失的可能；而集中决策下的团购协调模型能够提升全局供应链的期望利润，实现渠道的帕累托改善，但协调的效果会受到团购客户组成结构的限制。     

Explaining the Sexuality Gap in Protest Participation

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the relationship between sexual orientations and the protest actions of adults in the United States. Drawing from General Social Survey data from 1996 to 2004, we found that lesbians, gays, and bisexuals were more than twice as likely to protest as heterosexuals. To account for this sexuality gap, we used Patrick Egan’s (2008) political distinctiveness theories to identify possible underlying causes of these protesting differences. After running several regressions, we found that sexuality and protesting relationships were moderated by issues of educational attainment, marital statuses, metropolitan residencies, political partisanships, governmental grievances, and gender role expectations.     

高校学生纪律处分撤销制度的构建

高校学生纪律处分在实现教育管理目的和保护学生权利方面存在一些问题,应逐步建立和完善纪律处分撤销制度,充分发挥纪律处分的育人功能和价值。现阶段,学生纪律处分撤销制度构建要充分体现处分的公平、公正、关怀原则,实现以人为本的教育理念。     

C335. Some numerology for the mass ratio of proton to electron,and a partially Bayesian evaluation

Recent small sample studies of estimators for the shape parameter a of the negative binomial distribution (NBD) tend to indicate that the choice of estimator can be reduced to a choice between the method of moments estimator, maximum likelihood estimator (MLE), maximum quasi-likelihood estimator and the conditional likelihood estimator (CLE). In this paper the results of a comprehensive simulation study are reported to assist with the choice from these four estimators. The study includes a traditional procedure for assessing estimators for the shape parameter of the NBD and in addition introduces an alternative assessment procedure. Based on the traditional approach the CLE is considered to perform the best overall for the range of parameter values and sample sizes considered. The alternative assessment procedure indicates that the MLE is the preferred estimator.     

基于SWOT的陕西书画市场竞争力研究

目前陕西书画市场虽然处于快速发展的有利时期,但从全国范围看还缺乏一定的竞争力。主要问题有:书画市场流通方式相对滞后、整体相对封闭、大部分艺术家尚未走向全国等。为此,结合陕西书画市场发展现状,运用SWOT分析方法,研究陕西书画市场发展的优势与劣势、机遇与挑战,并提出一些应对策略,以期能够进一步提升陕西书画市场的竞争力,促进陕西书画市场又好又快地发展。